Friday, February 26

I know we harp on it a lot, but customer service at RevZilla is something that keeps us all up at night.

Based on customer feedback, we have done it right to date.

The biggest challenge that we face moving forward is that as the company grows dramatically bigger, the level of service and support we offer can never falter. We won't let it. But it will take careful planning and a lot of work to keep the status quo.

Everyone who joins TeamZilla has to have the potential to be a "Customer Service God". Now we know that Customer Service Gods are usually trained, not born, so we typically try to come up with new ideas to keep things fresh on the front lines. The hope is to allow a team member to fully realize his potential and take his skills to the next level.

In the end we have kept the bar high and our customers win.

The above picture is a great example of "keeping things fresh". Stealing a page from "Boiler Room", we told Patrick to "act as if". Act as if he was the god of all things customer service and all things metal. So we gave him a new Icon Metal God Jacket, a set of Ti-Max Original Gloves and cranked up Dio on the stereo to 11.

Sometimes you would be amazed at what a little creativity can do for office morale.

After this he hung up the phone, he went on to smash that TV in true metal god fashion. I guess there are pluses and minuses to every training approach. At the very least, it's entertaining.

Wednesday, February 24

Finally the long awaited Held Steve 2 Glove ($159) has arrived. Over the last few years the original Held Steve Glove has been a best seller for numerous reasons including comfort, functionality and bang for the buck factor. Its a great mid range touring or adventure touring glove from Held which will cover at least three seasons.

Check out the video above. We shot it with Tommy of Held USA at the Indy dealer show.

The new Held Steve 2 Glove has kangaroo leather palm, riveted heel studs and leather reinforced upper like the original Steve, but now with an updated design which will be more comfortable and protective. The Steve 2 also features a Nomex and Kevlar reinforced outer layer for further protection from a fall. The new Steve 2 has a grey palm, carbon reinforcement in the wrist and a left finger visor wiper which it did not have previously.

Tuesday, February 23

Recently we blogged about the new Sidi Fusion Boot, replacement for the original B-2 at a $200 price. We got some great feedback from our customers and quickly edited our Sidi Fusion Boot video from the Indy show. Check the quick video rundown out and let us know your thoughts.

I gobbled this right off of BMW Motorrad's Blog - They picked up the Jack Broomall ride to Alaska for Pediatric Cancer story internationally. Notice the RevZillans in the second picture.. pretty cool.

===================== Begin Post ==============

Charity begins at home

Self-confessed ‘petrol head’ Jack Bromall has completed a 60-day motorcycle ride to Alaska from his home in Philadelphia. His aims were to raise funds and awareness for a charity close to his heart. Not only did he succeed in his ambitions, but he also experienced the awesome surroundings of the Canadian Rockies and the thrill of a long-distance motorcycle ride.

Jack, a retired engineer, has a lust for all-things petrol powered. Ever since he first sampled the joys of motorcycling from the pillion seat of his school friend’s bike over 40 years ago, he’s been hooked. However, it wasn’t until recently that Jack fulfilled a long-held ambition to undertake a marathon motorcycle journey into the wilds of Canada from his home in Philadelphia in eastern America.
“In 2008, me and a friend flew a light aircraft to Alaska and had a great adventure,” he explains. “We had talked about taking our wives there as neither of them had been to Alaska so I started looking into organising a trip. Then there was a gap in my schedule and I began to think that riding to Alaska on a motorcycle would really be a great idea. I spoke to my friend about it and he wasn’t so enthusiastic, so I decided to ride while they flew and I would meet them there.”

Over recent years, Jack has used his spare time working as a freelance engineer in the four-wheeled American Le Mans race series and the Grand Am championship. He has also set several records at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats on two wheels and believes that somebody would be missing a trick if they didn't have a go for the 1000cc record there on a BMW S 1000 RR. It was through his speed trials activities that Jack first began to support the Austin Hatcher Foundation – a paediatric cancer charity set up by two friends who tragically lost their child to cancer.

“I have been a supporter of the Austin Hatcher Foundation since it was set up in 2006 through my speed trials and other motorsport activities, so I thought the ride to Alaska and back would be a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness and funds for the foundation,” Jack continues. “Initially, I wanted to raise a few hundred dollars and maybe get my story in a few magazines; however I ended up raising around $4,000 and significantly increasing awareness of the foundation.”The Austin Hatcher Foundation’s mission is to support research towards the diagnoses, treatment and development of a cure for paediatric cancer and to provide support and hope to children and families undergoing treatment, as well as to those who have lost children due to cancer. With this humble statement in mind, Jack wasn’t short of motivation during his ride.

“I think the best moment of the whole experience was when I received a donation from somebody I didn’t even know,” he adds. “Donations had been made by friends, family and contacts, but not by a complete stranger. The first time somebody read my story online, saw what I was doing and felt compelled to donate was pretty special.”

With a route planned and his fundraising goals set out, all Jack had to do was choose which bike to take. “I own a BMW R 1200 GS and an F 650 GS, and both get a lot of use,” he reveals. “I bought the F 650 GS with the Alaska trip in mind as it has all the attributes of a mixed use bike without the size and heft. It had only covered 700 miles before the trip and had done about 12,000 by the time I got back. Smarter people than me tell me that it equates to half way around the world!”

During the 60-day ride, Jack continually updated his www.2wheels2alaska.com blog and kept his supporters up to speed on the numerous forums he had registered to prior to the trip in order to raise awareness. Despite spending hours on his laptop, Jack still found time to appreciate his awesome surroundings. “Once I got above Edmonton – the last major city on my route – and I saw a sign which read ‘Welcome to Yukon’ I knew why I decided to go on the trip. The scenery, the culture and the vastness of it all was overwhelming. My goal was to make it to the Hatcher Pass and that was a highlight, although there was a surprise around every corner.”

However, the trip wasn’t without its difficulties, but Jack was able to retain a sense of perspective. “There was one moment on Summit Pass (the highest road around Alberta) that was particularly challenging,” he adds. “As I made my way to the summit, it kept getting colder and wetter, and soon I came across a stretch of unpaved road which was essentially a mud hole for as far as the eye could see. It was the first really tough part of the ride. There were no other vehicles around and if I’d have had an accident, help was a long way away. But I kept reminding myself of the Austin Hatcher Foundation and the challenges the people it supports face, and the mud hole really didn’t seem too bad.”
After 44 days, 20 American states, two Canadian provinces, four time-zones and 12,019 miles, Jack returned home, safe in the knowledge that he had succeeded in raising funds and awareness for the Austin Hatcher Foundation. But no sooner had he arrived home then Jack was planning his next charity ride.

“I plan to ride in South Africa in the next few years, but it depends on whether I’ll be able to finance the trip,” he concludes. “The Austin Hatcher Foundation is really important to me though, so I keep putting coins in my jar and saving!”

Monday, February 22

Last September I flew out to Colorado with FirstGear to beat on the new TPG line of Adventure Jackets and Pants and offer my feedback and impressions. I wore a TPG Rainier Jacket and a pair of TPG Escape Pants on the trek and was impressed with their performance and how they held up when I crashed. Yes, I crashed on Day 2.

Some other industry friends were along for the ride, notably Dennis Johnson, Editor of Dealer News. It's taken some time but last week he posted his account of the adventure which saw many climates and temperatures over 4 days of dualsporting and road riding. I promised a full rider report at some point. It only happened halfway at best. Read Dennis' account. He's a good writer.

Check out Dennis's full account here: Ripping through the Rockies with FirstGear and Tucker Rocky.

We even shot some video on the street in Crested Butte detailing the gear mid-journey.

Saturday, February 20

We went to Indy last weekend. I have said it 16 times at this point. We made it back in one piece and I have been talking about it all week. It's always enlightening in many ways and we always manage to have a good time out there. We also always try to manage a comp'ed steak somewhere. This year was no exception.

Enjoy our Indy 2010 Deler Expo Recap.

I will continue to rant and rave as I trickle out more nuggets from the show, but for now I hope you enjoyed our video, the creepy youth sport bike jacket mannequin and the haggeredness of our cab ride. We were as out of gas as they come by the end of that trip. I just had visions of pushing that cab out of a snow ditch and wanting to die. I am happy that was not the case.

Thursday, February 18

We like really very functional products and gear. We also like "sex on wheels". Momo Helmets kind of cover both bases.

At Indy we had the chance to check out the first assortment of Momo gear coming to the states in the form of a nicely styled stitched open face helmet. For right now there will be one option in a few different colors and will be a first stab at th US market with hopefully a broader line to come. We expect this helmet to go over really big with the Cafe Racer and Scooter crowd.

Wednesday, February 17

A loyal fan of Dainese, Trish, posted this picture of herself and her husband on their wedding day to our Dainese Motorcycle Gear Facebook Fan Page. It was too great to pass up and our fan page went berserk. I shot her a line and she said I could post it here on our RevZilla blog.

Her caption was something along the lines of "I asked god for a crazy motorcycle racer, I guess Valentino must have been busy".... the best!

Tuesday, February 16

I love it when brands step up and manufacturers listen regarding new products. Just like the need for a mid range adventure touring boot which SIDI covered in the new Adventure Rain, for some time we have seen the need for a mid range beefed up sportbike boot from SIDI at a lower price. For 2010 we are very happy to offer the SIDI Fusion Boot, a motorcycle boot designed for the sprited street rider who does not need all of the functionality of the track but wants some of thoseelements.

The SIDI Fusion, at $200, replaces the popular SIDI B-2 boot (was $235) and includes many of the same features. A reinforced track style upper for protection and support and track style sole as well as a plastic replaceable toe-slider round out all the wealth of tech features to be found here. In our opinion SIDI has a large and loyal following for a reason, and this boot allows that following to be able to get better bang for the buck. It gives a shot at affordability for even more riders desiring the SIDI level of quality.

The B-2 is actually still in the line, but for 2010 you can only get it in a full-scale GORE-TEX version at $325 which is fully weatherproof. Check out the SIDI B-2 GORE-TEX Boots here.

Rip-roaring and back in Philly as of noon yesterday, my eyes are bloodshot beyond belief. The three of us also took off from Indy and flew back to Philly out of 3 inches of snow with another proposed 7 falling during the course of their presidents day.

Truth: In the cab on the way to the airport at 9:30 this morning I thought there was no way in hell that we were going to get remotely close to Philly today. I thought yesterday was going to be the day of playing terminal man charades and leading old-timey singalongs when the airport went to reserve power. (quick aside: I don't even know what that means. I am really that tired)

But alas - we made it home. They let us leave. Bon Voyage Indiana! We win.

Last weekend was an adventure as it always is; we met with everyone; bulls-eyes all around. We even hung out with some of our competition and to my delight got along quite nicely. Although one great guy and new friend who shall remain nameless, took his pants off at the bar. Hilarious. He will always have a special place in my heart with such a ridiculous display in the spirit of proving his point in our conversation.

As I mentioned on Friday, we live blogged the best and funniest of what we saw... we posted everything, moto and non-moto to our RevZilla Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/revzilla) - some of the posts are pretty funny with the commentary they spurned. If you would like to see just the candids and the captions check out our RevZilla Picture Blog.

More to come in the next few days as I digest the best of what I saw and the best of the rest and share it. We have some pretty cool tricks up our sleeves post Indy.

Friday, February 12

We leave for the airport at 4pm today to trek to Indianapolis to meet with our fellow moto industry compatriots and take over the town. Between tonight and our arrival back on Monday afternoon we will be meeting with everyone as well as seeing a lot of gear and bikes for the first time.

The hope is always to meet great industry folks and stumble across the next big thing for us to carry... we also spend a fair bit of time drinking and running about town. It's inevitable. Part of the allure of the industry, I guess.

This weekend I will be taking tons of pics and video. I will also be live blogging the best of what I see on RevZilla's Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/revzilla) so feel free to check it throughout the weekend and leave us your feedback.

"Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody's looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you're misunderstood."

You gotta love a city that's quote on courage includes an Indy 500 reference. See you on the other side.

It's Kevin from Olympia with awesome pics of the "chin man" in the background breaking down the features of the new all season jacket offering. Personally I am a fan of the Mega Vent System and the new armor.

Wednesday, February 10

I promised a rundown of what we consider the standouts in the rest of the 2010 Icon Jackets and Gear lineup in our New 2010 Icon Helmet post late last week. This is that post. Interested in hearing your opinion and whether you think we nailed it or missed the mark. So here is what got us hot n' bothered right now... (besides the 2010 Pirelli calendar)

2010 Icon Hooligan 2 Etched Mesh Jacket - Based on the wildly successful original Hooligan mesh jacket, for 2010 Icon is pushing an Etched version to match the new Variant Motard Helmet as well as the Sub Etched glove. The Icon Hooligan 2 Mesh Jacket also comes in a plain version. Compared to the previous version this new chassis has an upgraded line to it along with upgraded armor, a back pad and a removable thermal liner. $165 for the plain, $185 for the Etched - 4 colors and sizes up to 4XL (black). This will be a staple and an easy choice for the serious sport riding Icon moto-vigilante.

Icon Mil-Spec Field Armor Vest - It's the same Field Armor Vest from 2009, but now meets Mil Spec PPE hi-visibility requirements on top of the already offered CE protection to both chest and back - with a pocket for creds no less. $120. We think this one was low hanging fruit and are surprised it took this long for someone to nail it. Go Icon, it's your birthday.

A week back we posted our Alpinestars LA Adventure post and a few days ago when the new Alpinestars Gear went live on RevZilla we posted about our first pass at favorite new Astars 2010 gear here on BlogZilla... today all of the new 2010 Alpinestars Gear Video is live, organized and happy in its own RevZillaTV playlist.

On a side note, I want a Ducati with a side-car with a machine gun on it - I have no idea what that has to do with Alpinestars, though. It must be a snowy Wednesday thing - or a byproduct of 4 cups of coffee by 2pm.

For the last couple of weeks the new for 2010 Sidi Adventure Rain Boots have been tough to keep in stock. For those just seeing them for the first time now they are a beefed up dualsport cross-over boot which is completely weatherproof, relatively light and reinforced with a good mix of MX style armor on the exterior. These Sidi Boots are a different approach than the Sidi Discovery Rain Boots but are not nearly as heavy or MX focused as the Sidi Crossfire SRS Boots.

I dragged a pair of the New Adventure Rains into the photo studio today and shot the hell out of them. It seems that there were no hi-res shots floating around on the internet - so I decided to fix that. ;-) You know the video is on its way shortly, but for now check out the Sidi Adventure Rain Boots photo gallery and the highlights below.

And for those of you wondering, yes, I had them under some pretty intense florescent lights, they look a bit brown in a few pics but in reality are completely jet black.

Tuesday, February 9

With the Spring riding season coming up, we have been getting a lot of calls about comparing race suits. Based on the questions we are getting it makes sense for us to provide some overviews of key race suit brands that we carry in the hopes of educating anyone looking for more information on race suits. Check out this MotoGP Ad (below) we have had on the shelf for a while.

Last year Randy de Puniet wore the REV'IT! TT Race Suit in the 2009 MotoGP season - and crashed in it - a lot. For those of you new to REV'IT! They do a ton of R&D and are continually improving their product. REV'IT! makes three high end Race suits, the REV'IT! Victory (left), REV'IT! TT & REV'IT! CR Suit. In our opinion they offer a ton of bang for the buck.

REV'IT! also makes a few model of track worthy gloves, the REV'IT! Jerez Glove (right), REV'IT! GT Corse & REV'IT! SLR Glove. Most people that know of REV'IT! know that their leathers are pretty solid. Most of our staff ride in TT suits on track days at this point.

The suits are structured good, better, best with best to be worn by Randy de Puniet and Alvaro Bautista in MotoGP in 2010. The TT suit was the top end in 2009 and they improved on it with the Victory in 2010 - so the pros will be wearing that one this season. Nate Kern riding the new BMW S1000RR is also sponsored by REV'IT! in 2010 and will be rocking the Victory in the staple Red, White and Blue color scheme to match the RR.

We have an overview video detailing the common features of the race suits as well as the differences between the models as you go up in features and price. Check it out below.

I could tech you all to death by breaking the models out, but the overview video speaks for itself.

This post is meant to get some good information out there and inform riders about another mid- to high-end motorcycle race suit options. Please don't hesitate to critique or ask questions about any of the REV'IT! Race Suits or other gear. Any and all feedback is welcome. Feel free to visit the REV'IT! Facebook page to join the discussion as well.

Monday, February 8

This time of year is always fun for TeamZilla. We love seeing the new motorcycle gear, testing it out and eventually getting it live on RevZilla.com. It's particularly exciting when it comes to new gear from some of our favorite brands. If you follow us on any internet channel it should be no surprise (yes we've been hitting it hard lately) that after our Los Angeles Alpinestars Preview Adventure, we have been itchy to unveil the new 2010 Alpinestars Motorcycle Gear . We are equally excited to launch it on RevZilla.com as well as publish our newest videos on RevZillaTV.

Friday we got the green light. Finally. The product and videos are live for our following to devour after much ado. Also we have launched a good chunk of these new Alpinestars products with Video on RevZillaTV (so go leave some feedback)

We are excited to hear some feedback from the riding community on the new lineup - there are about 30 products in all with not everything in stock yet. Here's some of our favorites right out of the gates:

New Alpinestars Leather Jackets - New for 2010 all of the jackets have 360 zips and the Alpinestars Jacket standard funtionality including 1.4 mil cowhide unless otherwise noted.

Alpinestars Indy Leather Jacket - A new twist on the standard Astars sport leather with 1.1 mil cowhide for a softer more comfortable feel in warmer weather.

Alpinestars Drift Leather Jacket - New retro horizontal striped option in full grain leather with all the bells and whistles. We just love the style. It spoke to me an my Duc'

Alpinestars Velocity Jacket - More retro this time done with dual sleeved racing stripes in a few colors. Part of the Street Collection.

Other Notables from Alpinestars for 2010 - A mixed bag of non-jackets, some of the new Alpinestars boots, shoes gloves and women's gear were really interesting to us.

Alpinestars Track Protection Vest - A full temperfoam reinforced vest with a Alpinestars Bionic Back protector connected to it. It offers another option for Mr. Trackday, Mr. Sportbike and any posable action figure.

Alpinestars Ransom Waterproof Jacket - A full textile shell with a semi-stealth look to it. The Ransom also has the waterproof breathable Drystar lining coupled with a thermal lining for full 3 season riding. At $259.95 its a great mid range versatile option.

Alpinestars Parlor Boot - Style with motorcycle funtionality on the bike or under dress pants. Part of the Street Collection. I already have a pair on order. Pimp.

Alpinestars Stella SP-1 Glove - A ladies redesign for an old standby the Stella SP-1 offers a wealth of comfort and features for the spirited female rider or trackday diva.

As usual we like what they have done as a whole from a high level, but it's not going to be until real riders get out there and start beating on this stuff that we see which new pieces rise to the top.

Friday, February 5

GoGo Gear is a new line of women's scooter and motorcycle gear that is coming soon to RevZilla.com. The newly produced line is aimed at providing fashion inspired jackets for women which are weather proof, abrasion resistant as well as CE armored - but you would never know at first glance.

We had the pleasure of meeting the founders at their LA HQ during our trip west a few weeks ago and needless to say, we were very impressed. Their initial lineup is focused, timeless and stylish with the technical guts to back it up.

Check back with us in the next few weeks to see more as we begin to breakdown the GoGo Gear lineup and compare and contrast the GoGo Gear jackets for the Spring launch.

Thursday, February 4

It's that time of year again - time for New Icon Motorcycle Gear to DROP.. as the kids on the MTV say.

To me, it's always fun to see what the good old boys at Icon have in store for us. In years past they have always pushed the envelope of whats fresh in motorcycle helmets and gear and more than once in my opinion have gotten away with murder. Their catalog a few years back had plenty of edge for everyone on our staff ;-)

As far as the Icon motorcycle helmet line is concerned for this year, we are looking at one completely new style in the Icon Variant Helmet as well as the standard handful of new colors and graphics for the perennial favorite Icon Airframe Helmet and Icon Alliance SSR Helmet. As for our favorites in the bunch.... here's out top 3 new helmet styles from Icon....

1) Icon Variant Helmet - Obviously we are a fan of Icon taking notice of the growing popularity of the super-motard and dual sport crowd. The Variant tweaks the shape of the standard sportbike helmet and adds the nice touch of the styled visor to the crown. Don't be fooled though, this helmet is built for stability and everyday riding on the street, despite its crossover good looks. The Icon Variant Etched Helmet comes in blue red and silver in the graphic style (pictured). It also comes in 5 solid Icon Variant styles including the rubberized flat "Rubatone" black.

2) Icon Airframe Helmets - The Airframe Carbon Lifeform Helmet (also available in black) is the most unique of the new line and in turn gets our nod for favorite new Airframe. At a mere 1450 grams - it's all the feel and venting of the standard Airframe with significantly less weight. As far as we know this is also Icon's first attempt at a fully carbon fiber helmet.

The Icon Airframe Sacrifice Helmet is the nasty new graphic pattern from Icon and it will fit right into the mix of the skull n' crossbones crowd. At this stage of the game, nobody does hell on wheels better than the boys at Icon.

3) Icon Airframe Street Angel Helmet - Also new to the party, built on top of the Airframe chassis this season and with the lady rider in mind is the new Icon Street Angel Helmet. This is the exact same Icon Airframe that is built in solids and other graphics, but this time around its getting new female oriented paint. If you're not into pink, there is also a black and white version which will turn just as many heads.

These new Airframe and Alliance SSR helmets are all certified with Icon's "World Standard". Meaning they meet the certifications of the major markets: DOT (US), ECE 22.05 (Europe), SAI AS1698 (Australia), and SG (Japan)

Let us know what you think and your opinions. Also we are always happy to answer any questions you may have and hear feedback.

Wednesday, February 3

Recently we had the chance to get our hands on the Alpinestars Frontier All Season Jacket for a bit and we were pleasantly surprised with how it stacked up to its ADV focused competition. Besides having some great functionality for sport and adventure touring as well as coming in a High Visibility color option, the addition of GORE-TEX for weatherproofing was a much desired feature which really does set it apart.

At RevZilla we service the long distance and adventure touring riders on a regular basis and we frequently get asked about Gore-Tex among other wishlists of gear features. Aero-Stich has been using Gore-Tex for years, but those suits are tough to get a hold of. Also BMW had the Gore license for the last few years but just recently lost it to REV'IT! who will be launching their top tier GORE-TEX line in the fall of this year. For most manufacturers, including GORE-TEX means increased cost due to the fact that W.L. GORE gets involved in the manufacturing of the products using its materials and basically makes sure that the overall quality of the garment lives up to the GORE standard. This involvement in the process adds time and costs to new product development and sometimes can end up making the final product prohibitively expensive. Hence we usually see a lot of manufacturers with their own type of waterproof / breathable membrane to help keep cots down. In our opinion these proprietary membranes perform well but are ultimately not as good as the original GORE-TEX technology.

So I know I am rambling a bit here, but I will get right down to it - its impressive that Alpinestars, who does so many things well, would take the time to listen to its customer base and develop an extremely targeted all season jacket which lives in the same realm as the ADV focused REV'IT! All-Season Jacket line as well as some of the top end textiles from Dainese like the D-System Jacket.

Please see a full list of features below, but remember no expense was spared when developing the Frontier. Also I must say that after wearing it, I found it to be comfortable and have a nice athletic cut to it which is in tune with the European style Astars is known for.

Please watch the HD video of the Alpinestars Frontier Jacket for the full run down and remember this motorcycle jacket was not manufactured to be the everyday coat for everyday. The Frontier was built to be an apex product for the harshest of conditions.

If you can not tell already, I was impressed. I applaud them for taking a chance in segement of riding they are not known for and executing really well.

Tuesday, February 2

With the Snell M2010 Standard hitting the streets in various helmets this year there have been many questions raised.

To alleviate any confusion surrounding AMA Racing Rules of Helmet regulations, here are the rules from the 2010 AMA Rulebooks in regards to ECE and SNELL approved helmets. If you read below, you will see that AMA accepts that the helmet must conform to “one” of the following standards.

a. Helmet
i. Riders must wear helmets at all times when riding on track.
ii. Helmets must be of the full face type.
iii. The helmet must conform to one of the following recognized
standards and have a label affixed certifying its approval.

BSI: 6658 Type A
USA: Snell M2005 / Snell M2010
(The current Snell M2005 helmet standard will remain valid
until the end of 2011)

(The current JIS 8133:2000 standard will remain valid until the
end of 2011)

iv. It is recommended that all helmets used in competition be
equipped with a commercially manufactured emergency helmet
removal device such as the Hats Off device. An approved list of
emergency helmet devices is available from AMA Pro Racing.

1. A rider must wear a helmet at all times when riding on a
track or course. Helmets must be of the full-face or fullcoverage
type. In contests of speed, all riders must utilize
a shatterproof face shield or shatterproof goggles. The
helmet must conform to one of the following recognized
standards and have a label affixed certifying its approval:

Monday, February 1

In an effort to bring you, our loyal customer the best deal coupled with the best service, we at RevZilla go to great lengths to maximize the efficiencies of our supply chain. We, in turn, always pass those effciencies on to our customers in the hope of measuring up to the ever increasing demands of the savvy online shopper.

Sometimes, however, I take a step back and look at the negotiations between RevZilla and it's vendors, where they breakdown and the eventual outcome; at times these negotiations take surprising turns. Today was no exception.

We have been having issues with a new for 2010 product which has been preordered at a high level and the wait and delays for its release have been stifling. Today I contacted the Texas based management and entered into a negotiation in the hopes of circumventing the standard product channels to potentially receive a stock replenishment faster than the typical schedule set forth by our normal distribution partner for this product.

After multiple attempts at a workaround, the last few attempts at a resolution between myself and their VP of Sales arrived here:

VP of Sales: "Sorry but there is no way around it, Company X has chosen Distributor X, Distributor Y and Distributor Z to be the main distribution channels. Wish I could help but my hands are tied."

My Response: "Steal them with a truck. Drive south to the border. I will wear a fake mustache and stylish western hat. I will make the exchange with you and promise not to double cross."

VP of Sales: "Sorry bud but I will help you all I can"

The exchange left me thinking two things. 1) Do I have an outside shot at robbing the stagecoach here? 2) I love being in the motorcycle industy. That was a completely absurd email response.

Most of this crap would never fly in any other industry I ever worked in (besides Casinos). God I love RevZilla and I love thinking of creative ways to serve or customers by being ridiculous to our vendors for my own amusement. It never gets old.

This year, out of a desire to get a sneak peak at the 2010 Alpinestars Line... and to run around LA like maniacs, TeamZilla (Matt, Nick and Myself) flew out west for a few days to hang with Astars in Los Angeles.

We had an adventure to say the least. We checked out their HQ in Torrance California, immersed ourselves in everything Astars and sat in more LA traffic than we care to remember. We also stayed on Sunset Boulevard, ate a few snakepit dinners (don't even ask) and saw more exotic autos than we could count.

We also managed to film a bit of video from our travels and traffic jams. Also if you watch toward the end you can see a sneak peek at the 2010 line. Shhhhh......

The big takeaway for me though, was just being impressed with the Astars organization as a whole. I was impressed with the leadership, operation, the staff, the distribution center and impressed that even sitting in the vending area right behind warehouse receiving there was an impassioned letter to staff from Gabriele, the owner of Astars, encouraging everyone to be true to the core values of what Alpinestars stands for.

We spent a good chunk of time in their showroom learning about the ~30 new products for 2010 which will be unveiled on February 12th and the "why" behind the development of these new products. We were pretty impressed and are looking forward to launching the whole video and product lineup on RevZilla.com and RevZillaTV in two weeks.

From a high level, its obvious that I am excited and I hope that our loyal Alpinestars customer base is as well. I also hope that if you are a RevZilla customer who may not know about or currently be wearing an Alpinestars Jacket - give them a look the next time you are looking to replace or upgrade a piece of gear - you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Be sure to check back on 2/12 to see the new Alpinestars gear in detail. Also there are more pics from the trip in the mobile uploads section of our RevZilla Facebook Page

Oh, and for the record, we saw David Spade at dinner on Friday Night and he's 5'1" ... and he was with ridiculously scandalous blonds. God bless Joe Dirt.